44. Billy’s mother had five children.
The first was named Lala, the
second was named Lele, the third
was named Lili, the fourth was
named Lolo. What was the fifth
child named?
Q21
40
49. Thief at sea
A Japanese ship was leaving the port and on its way to open
sea. The captain went to go oil some parts of the ship and
took his ring off so it wouldn’t get damaged. He left it on the
table next to his bunk. When he returned, it was missing.
He had suspected three crew members could be guilty and
asked them what they had been doing for the ten minutes
that he had been gone.
The cook said, “I was in the kitchen preparing tonight’s
dinner.”
The engineer said, “I was working in the engine room
making sure everything was running smoothly.”
The seaman said, “I was on the mast correcting the flag
because someone had attached it upside down by mistake.”
The captain immediately knew who it was. How?
60
50. Answer: It was clearly the seaman.
It was a Japanese ship and a
Japanese flag is white with a single
red dot in the middle. It can’t be hung
upside down.
51. Murder at school
On the first day of school, someone murdered a history
teacher. There were four people at the school that the police
suspected had done it: the landscaper, a math teacher, a
basketball coach, and the principal. These were their alibis:
• The landscaper said he was outside mowing the lawn.
• The math teacher said he was invigilating a mid-year test.
• The basketball coach said he was running practice drills
with his players.
• The principal said she was in her office.
After giving their alibies, the police arrested the killer
immediately. Who killed the history teacher and how did the
police know?
60
52. Answer: The math teacher killed the history teacher. He
claimed that he was invigilating a mid-year test, but it was the
first day of school.
53. Recorded last words
A man was found on the floor dead with
a cassette recorder in one hand and a
gun in the other. When the police arrive
at the scene they pressed play on the
recorder. It was the man’s voice. He said,
“I have nothing else to live for. I can’t go
on,” followed by the sound of a gunshot.
After listening, the police knew that this
was a murder, not a suicide. How?
60
54. Answer: If the dead man had
killed himself, he wouldn’t have
been able to press the reverse
button on the cassette recorder